A recent wellness survey found that working adults have the highest concentration of moderate to high-stress levels among age groups, while the need for better stress management habits remains.
Global consumer wellness technology company OSIM International released the findings of its OSIM Wellness Survey 2022 on Monday (Apr 11), which took stock of Singaporeans’ stress levels and coping mechanisms after more than two years of living with Covid-19.
Two out of three respondents said they experience moderate to high-stress levels.
Although working adults logged the highest stress levels, a large proportion of youths (16 to 25 years old) and seniors (56 to 70 years old) also reported moderate to high-stress levels, 65 and 49 per cent, respectively.
When asked what the biggest sources of stress in their lives are, 46 per cent said financial matters, followed by 31 per cent noting it was the lack of money.
“With the effects of the pandemic and sustained uncertainty over the last two years, our intention for this year’s survey was to examine stress levels and management, and dive deeper into an assessment based on different age groups and their unique coping mechanisms,” said Deputy Chief Executive of OSIM International, Ms Lynn Tan in a media release.
“We recognise that individuals at different stages of life have very distinct priorities, circumstances, and perspectives on wellness, and as such, it is important to understand the unique stressors faced by different individuals in order to effectively address and mitigate chronic stress.”
Almost two-thirds of 58 per cent of the respondents indicated that Covid-19 safe management measures caused them stress, specifically by the limitations to social and leisure activities like dining out, house visitations and overseas travel.
Meanwhile, digital devices have become a stress relief outlet for individuals.
The survey also found that the use of devices as stress relief has increased since the beginning of the pandemic more than two years ago, and how digital devices impacted participants’ mental health and stress levels as they live and work in a digital age.
Interestingly, however, despite the increased usage of digital devices for stress-relieving activities such as watching TV and videos, or social media, only a few stated that they used digital devices to track or manage their stress levels.
Ms Tan said that with access to technology and data at our fingertips, it is possible to definitively measure and monitor physical indicators of stress instead of basing it on feelings.
“We hope to encourage more people to make use of such devices and technology to have a better and clearer understanding of their own well-being, such that stress management can become more data-driven and precise and form an integral part of their health and wellness routines,” she said.
The survey included a total of 432 respondents aged 16 to 70, highlighting that better stress management habits are still imperative as stress levels remain high while the majority don’t actively track or manage said stress. /TISG
Netizens suggest employers be penalised for contacting workers on leave to avoid burnout